It started as a simple gesture, working out with a friend so he wouldn't have to train alone.

Just a few weeks later, Delaney Day was on a football field, being mobbed by her teammates after nailing a game-winning field goal.

This fall has been quite a whirlwind for the former Taylor High School girls soccer player.

Day, a junior, has been the kicker for the Yellow Jackets football team this season, connecting on five extra points and that impressive 32-yard field goal in overtime to defeat Finneytown.

Her journey began this summer, when she saw her friend Aaron Hollingsworth working out on the field by himself. She joined him for moral support and eventually he suggested that the former soccer player join the football team.

The next thing she knew, she was in the weight room, receiving motivation from senior captain Logan Shinkle.

“My teammates were so accepting when I first showed up,” said Day. “They didn’t treat me any differently.”

Her first opportunity had to wait, as the Yellow Jackets were shut out in their first two games. In Week 3, against Norwood, Day made the most of her first point-after attempt.

Buy Photo

Delaney Day watches as one of her field goals goes through the uprights Friday, October 20th at Veterans Memorial Stadium(Photo: Alex Vehr for the Enquirer)

“I think she kicks with an edge. She really embraces the role as a female football player and lets that build into how she kicks the ball,” said Taylor’s first-year head coach Mark Miller. “She kicks the ball hard. She’s done a great job. She’s not afraid to miss.”

Day has made five of her six point after tries. Her first field goal attempt could not have arrived a much bigger moment. In a back-and-forth game with Finneytown, one of the Taylor coaches predicted in the third quarter that the game would be decided by Day’s leg. In overtime, tied at nine, that moment arrived. Miller pointed to his new kicker and sort-of-asked, sort-of-told her she was ready.

“I was shaking. My head was spinning. It was the adrenaline, I guess,” said Day, who had not attempted any kicks longer than an extra point, even in practice. “Right after the kick, I had no idea what happened. I heard everybody cheering, and hoped it was our fans, not theirs. The whole team piled around me.”

A skilled golfer and a cheerleader, Day knows how to perform in front of a crowd and under pressure. But she realizes that she’s representing more than just herself and her football teammates every time she lines up for a kick.

Buy Photo

Taylor kicker Delaney Day connects for a PAT in the Oct. 20 game with Reading(Photo: Alex Vehr for the Enquirer)

“Being a girl going out for a guys’ sport was very stressful,” she said. “There were a lot of people waiting to see you fail.”

Fortunately for her, those people do not share a sideline with her on Friday nights. The Yellow Jackets have welcomed their kicker from day one.

“All the guys have responded with open arms,” said Miller. “It’s really neat to see that dynamic of how they’ve accepted and embraced her as a teammate.”

Day played soccer for Taylor as a freshman, but a knee injury sidelined her during what would have been her sophomore season. This year’s new experiment has gone so well that Day has no doubts on what field she’ll be playing as a senior.

“I’m going to play football again next year. I enjoy the environment so much,” said Day. “The coaches are just so great. It builds your character. The coaches were so accepting. It’s very humbling.”